This invention relates generally to the dock accessory arts and more particularly to dock structures adapted for mounting to a frame or the like.
Boating is considered by many to be the number one outdoor recreational activity in the United States today. More people than ever are enjoying recreational boating activities ranging from canoeing to yachting. The increase in the number of boats on America's waterways has likewise increased the need for the number of slips, piers and docks at which to moor these watercraft.
Docks are generally constructed in either a fixed dock or a floating dock arrangement. A fixed dock is comprised of pilings or piers which are driven into the floor of a body of water; stringers are secured to these pilings creating a support frame to which planks are appropriately attached. The floating dock is essentially comprised of a deck surface which floats on buoyancy material secured underneath the deck surface.
In the floating dock configuration, a series of floating deck sections are often attached to one another to create a larger or longer floating surface.
Typically, docks are constructed of wood or metal planking fastened to the support frame. While wood and metal planking have been accepted as decking materials, mainly because of a lack of alternatives, there are many problems associated with these decking materials and the fasteners used to secure them to the frame. Wood planking tends to warp, splinter and rot; problems which are inherent in wood and accelerated in a harsh marine environment. Likewise, extruded metal planking, most commonly aluminum, tends to corrode in the humid marine environment and often becomes uncomfortably hot in direct sun.
Further, both of these materials are difficult to reliably attach to the underlying support structure. For example, the nails, screws or other fasteners used to hold the planking down tend to loosen over a period of use and protrude through the top surface of the planking creating a potential hazard. Also, once fasteners become loose, the planks become unstable and may even become detached.